• Auctions America announces early highlights for its Auburn Fall weekend, September 1 – 4 at Indiana’s historic Auburn Auction Park
• A Labor Day tradition for more than 45 years, sale to feature approximately 900 collector cars and select automobilia
• Early auction highlights led by a stunning 1934 Duesenberg Model J Berline
• Multi-day event to also feature wide range of auto-themed activities for the whole family
• Frequently updated list of entries available at www.auctionsamerica.com 

AUBURN, Indiana (May 6, 2016) – The gates to the Auburn Auction Park opened yesterday for Auctions America’s annual Auburn Spring event—a kick-off to the spring classic car motoring season. The three-day event, which runs through Saturday, will see more than 400 collector cars and select automobilia cross the podium, as well as present a bevy of automotive-themed events, including a dedicated car corral and swap meet.

While Auburn Spring has emerged as a spring tradition for collector car enthusiasts in recent years, Auburn Fall has been a Labor Day weekend tradition for more than four-and-a-half decades. The annual fall event, which coincides with the famous Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, marks the official close to the summer motoring season by providing an ultimate celebration of the collector car hobby; the 2015 event generated $20 million in auction sales and attracted 85,000 enthusiasts. This year’s Auburn Fall weekend is scheduled September 1 – 4 and set to present some 900 classics and select automobilia, along with a host of other ancillary events. Early auction highlights are led by a rare 1934 Duesenberg Model J Berline by Franay.

“We’re looking forward to bringing not just another fantastic roster of cars to Auburn, but also to welcoming back collectors, enthusiasts, and the ACD community to the Classic Car Capital of America,” says Megan Boyd, Car Specialist, Auctions America. “As part of the Labor Day tradition, and more importantly, the Auburn tradition, we’re thrilled to offer another fabulous Duesenberg at our Fall sale. Lending European flair to an American icon, the Franay-bodied Duesenberg is not something collectors might expect to see here, but something we’re proud to bring back home to Auburn.”

1934 Duesenberg Model J Berline: “The Queen of Diamonds”

Duesenberg Model J chassis no. 2385 wore two bodies by renowned Parisian coachbuilder Franay in-period; the first was a Town Car, the form in which it was displayed at the 1931 and 1932 Paris Salons. When this conservatively styled automobile failed to find a buyer, Franay rebodied the chassis as this remarkable Berline, with its beautifully curved roofline, long skirted fenders, sliding sunroof and extraordinary detailing. It is one of very few surviving Duesenbergs with coachwork built outside of the United States, and the only surviving Franay body on the Model J chassis.

The car was originally delivered to the Countess Porceri, the former Mabel Boll, whose vivacious beauty won her several socialite husbands. Once a candidate for the first woman to cross the Atlantic by airplane, she was renowned for her extravagant lifestyle, including a vast collection of gems, many of which she wore on a regular basis. Reportedly, she frequently could be found with $250,000 of jewels on her person. Today, her Duesenberg is affectionately known as “The Queen of Diamonds,” a nickname once bestowed upon the Countess herself.

Subsequently, the Duesenberg was part of the well-known Serge Pozzoli collection at Montlhery, France, and was then a feature for several years of the renowned Pat Ryan collection of sporting automobiles in the United States. It comes to auction finished in brilliant metallic plum (Est. $750,000 - $950,000).

Another great fit for the ACD weekend, the Auburn Fall docket also includes a 1929 Auburn 8-90 Cabriolet, striking in red and black, and offered with pride in the city of its birth (Est. $80,000 - $100,000). Both the Duesenberg and the Auburn are on preview at this weekend’s Auburn Spring event at the Auburn Auction Park.

For further information on Auburn Spring, or to view the sale live online (May 6 – 7), please visit www.auctionsamerica.com.

For further information on Auburn Fall, or to discuss consignment opportunities, please call toll free 877.906.2437 (or +1.260.927.9797 outside North America). A full program of automotive-events scheduled for the Auburn Fall weekend will be announced in the early summer.

ABOUT AUCTIONS AMERICA

Formed in July 2010, Auctions America specializes in the sale of American Classics, European sports cars, Detroit muscle, hot rods and customs. Headquartered at the historic Auburn Auction Park in Indiana, Auctions America boasts an expert team of full-time vehicle specialists, who offer more than 150 years’ combined experience buying, selling, racing and restoring collector vehicles, making them uniquely qualified to advise on all aspects of the hobby. The company’s established roster of annual events are held in some of the country’s leading automotive destinations including Auburn, Indiana; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Santa Monica, California; and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. To learn more about Auctions America, visit www.auctionsamerica.com, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @auctionsamerica.